win.gg
Win.gg Counter-Strike FaZe Clan’s CS2 team announces Neityu as stand-in player

FaZe Clan’s CS2 team announces Neityu as stand-in player

Hannan Mundia
Hannan Mundia Published 27/04/2026
Google Preferred Source
ENCE player Neityu will play for FaZe Clan

After karrigan’s  recent departure from the roster, FaZe Clan’s CS2 team has announced that Neityu will be the team’s temporary stand-in.

FaZe Clan’s CS2 team has been in a major slump recently, failing to secure a single victory since early 2024. The DraculaN Season 6 and HLC Belgrade PRO tournaments made it clear that something had to change, leading to karrigan leaving the team after six years.

Unfortunately for FaZe, this leaves the team in a difficult position because there’s no permanent member yet. With the next three events already being confirmed, the team announced that Neityu will be the stand-in for over a month as they seek to improve their fortunes.

Neityu temporarily joins FaZe’s CS2 team

ENCE’s professional Counter-Strike 2 player Ryan “Neityu” Aubry will join FaZe Clan as a stand-in for the team’s next three events.

The three events in FaZe’s schedule are BLAST Rivals Spring 2026, IEM Atlanta 2026, and Stake Ranked Episode 2. The last of the three will conclude on May 30, 2026, giving Neityu a little over a month to show off his skills on the big stage. The stakes are fairly high in these tournaments, so it’s understandable that some fans may wonder who Neityu even is.

Neityu with the Elisa Masters Espoo trophy

Neityu with the Elisa Masters Espoo trophy – Image credit: Neityu

Who is Neityu ?

Neityu has been an active professional player since 2021. He got his start with GenOne and has switched teams multiple times since. While he usually competes in lower-tiered tournaments than what FaZe Clan is used to, this will allow him to add something new to FaZe’s lineup. Looking at the team’s recent performance, something new may be exactly what is needed.

Unfortunately for Neityu, he has some big shoes to fill. karrigan’s influence on FaZe Clan and CS2 esports as a whole is clear. His recent performances weren’t up to the mark, but his role as the team’s in-game leader was never in question given his excellence over multiple years and tournaments.

On the other hand, Neityu is officially part of ENCE. ENCE benched its main CS2 roster and the team’s performance wasn’t exactly setting any gold standard, so it will be interesting to see how quickly he fits in at FaZe.

Since FaZe already failed to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major, Neityu’s role is likely to just ensure the team has enough players. karrigan’s departure left the team in need of an immediate solution, so it remains likely that this is only a temporary measure while the team seeks someone to fill the spot permanently.

Feature image credit: ESL

Hannan Mundia Hannan Mundia
About Hannan Mundia

Hannan Mundia is a lifelong gamer. Don’t believe us? Just ask him. But don’t ask how many hours he’s spent playing. He’s been gaming since the age of three, and much of his live revolves around video games and the video game industry. Whether it’s a classic Legend of Zelda game from Nintendo, the newest Bethesda RPG, or something else entirely, you can bet that Hannan is ready and willing to play it.

View full profile
Read Also
IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...